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Aurelien Menant, founder and chief executive of Gatecoin, a regulated bitcoin and ethereum exchange based in Hong Kong, told CNBC: "All major Asian exchanges, including ours, are currently overwhelmed by the sudden growth in our client base and trading activity.

"Specifically, requests for more ether trading pairs seems to be a common theme,"

Like bitcoin, the cryptocurrency has 'coins' but is more focused on everyday transactions and allows holders to move value around.

Limited supply of the coins which are mined has helped them to reach a safe haven status - like gold.